This invention relates generally to a trench forming and following device for attachment to a tractor, and more particularly to a method of guiding farm implements during operations involving row crops such as beets, corn and sunflowers.
Since the beginning of row crop farming, farmers have experimented with methods of guiding their equipment accurately and easily during the various row crop operations.
It is desirable to plant row crops in substantially straight and parallel rows as subsequent operations such as cultivating, spraying, roto-beeting and the lifting of beets require the operator to accurately follow the previously planted rows. Failure to follow these rows may cause damages ranging from uprooted seedlings while cultivating to the waste of chemical while engaged in spraying operations. The high degree of skill that is required to navigate during row crop operations may often cause drivers to become tired or lose concentration resulting in deviations from the previously planted rows.
A still further problem relates to the spacing of these rows. In order to maximize yield for a particular crop rows are spaced in varying widths from 18 to 30 inches. Tractors used in row crop farming generally have wheel width spacing that is adjustable. Thus, a guidance system to work properly in these situations must be designed to allow adjustment for the different widths of row crop spacing.
One method of guiding row crops has been the use of a first knife or chisel type implement to rip trenches parallel and between the rows of crop. These implements are generally mounted on the planter or first row crop operation in the crop cycle. During this initial operation the driver of the implement is free to follow the already planted rows or the outside of the field. During subsequent operations the tractor or the implement itself is supplied with a single lenticular disc center mounted so as to follow the aforementioned trench.
This disc can be mounted on the front of the tractor and pushed into the ground using hydraulics and the weight of the tractor to follow the previously made trench. The increasing size of farm operations and modernization of farm equipment has created some problems with this type of guidance system. The increase in row crop farming has resulted in the development of tractors that are designed to operate easily in a row crop environment. These tractors are often heavier and equipped with a mechanical front wheel drive which has resulted in the use of front tires that are no longer equipped with ribs running parallel to the direction of travel as old tractor tires were. These new tires are supplied with diagonal gripping ribs and are much larger than the old style of tires. The use of these heavier tractors with a mechanical front wheel drive and larger tires has rendered the placement of a single lenticular disc on the front of tractor obsolete for four reasons. The first reason is the size of the tractor; one disc is not sufficient to hold a substantial amount of the weight of the front of the tractor. Thus, the tires can easily steer the tractor and allow deviations from a straight course. The second problem is that the guidance disc is mounted to the tractor undercarriage. As the front axle oscillates to follow the contour of the ground, the undercarriage remains stationary, this causes the disc to turn side to side losing its contact with the trench which it is supposed to engage. The third problem is the size of the front wheels as they are now much larger, one trench following disc is insufficient to guide the larger implements. As the front driven wheels are turned, the single guidance disc is easily moved side to side losing contact with the guidance trench. The fourth problem with using one centrally mounted guidance disc is that it may cause instability in the tractor if two much weight is placed upon the disc.
Alternatively, the disc may be mounted upon the implement itself. In this set up, it is necessary to use implements that are not mounted on solid hitches so as to allow the implement to move side to side in order to allow the guidance disc to follow the trench. The problem with this set up is that a great majority of row crop implements are designed to be used with a solid three point hitch; use of this type of rear mounted guidance system requires that the farmer use implements mounted on a loose hitch that allows the implement to pivot, thus, a farmer may be required to change his whole equipment line in order to render this type of hitch feasible.
A second type of guidance system utilizes two parallel trench forming means generally made up of two lenticular discs. These discs are evenly spaced with the front wheels and mounted to the undercarriage of the tractor in front of the rear wheels and behind the front wheels. Ideally, in this guidance system the implement behind the tractor is equipped with a loose hitch and is supplied with two more trench following wheels. The use of the loose hitch allows the implement to move from side to side so as to follow the trenches and not necessarily the deviations that the tractor may make. In this guidance system, the trenches are also used on subsequent trips over the field. The trenches are evenly spaced so as to allow the front wheels of the tractor to engage said trenches on subsequent trips over the field.
This type of guidance system is also plagued with three types of problems that are caused by the new, large four wheel drive row crop tractors. The first problem is the loose hitch. As stated earlier, it is desirable to have a system that utilizes a locked or three point type hitch as this type of equipment represents the majority of row crow crop machinery in use today. The aforementioned guidance system requires a loose hitch so as to allow the implement to move from side to side to follow the trench and remove deviations made by the driver. The second problem with this system is that the trench forming discs are mounted to the undercarriage of the tractor. This requires them to move with the body of the tractor rather than to move independently as the wheels of the tractor move over changes in the contour of the ground. The third problem with this system is that subsequent trips over the field rely on the front tires of the tractor to follow the previously made trenches. This method may have worked with the older two wheel drive tractors which utilized the smaller front tires that were equipped with parallel ribs that helped to guide the tires through these trenches. However, today's larger four wheel drive row crop tractors are supplied with front tires utilizing diagonal ribs of a larger size. The use of the larger diagonally ribbed tires results in the front tires often climbing or jumping out the previously made trenches.
A still further problem with the aforementioned guidance method relates to the use of implements of varying sizes. The use of larger equipment has required the use of implements of varying sizes. Often it may be desirable to plant row crops with a twenty four row planter and later turn or cultivate the crop with a twelve row implement. This problem arises frequently with the planting, roto-beeting and lifting of sugar beets. A farmer can plant with twelve row implement and defoliate or roto-beet with a twelve row implement while lifting or harvesting can only be accomplished six rows at time. This particular type of operation causes problems with guidance systems as the tractor is not following the same tracks that it did during planting. One common application of the new guidance system is sugar beet farming. Sugar beets are planted in rows and require cultivating and spraying much as any other row crop. However, the harvesting of beets is much different than that of other typical row crops, and thus presents some unique problems. Before harvesting the beets must be defoliated in a process commonly called roto-beeting. A common size for this machine is a twelve row roto-beeter. During roto-beeting the front tractor tires are set 88" so as to traverse four 22" rows. To maximize sugar content, the beets must be dug or lifted within 8 hours of being defoliated. This is often accomplished with a six row harvester or lifter. The tractor pulling this harvester would have the front tires set at 88" spacing. Previously it was not possible to use the established tracks in the twelve row crop since this required the tractor wheels to spaced at 44" centers which is not possible with the large tractors used in today's operations. By making a guidance system with infinitely adjustable discs to be placed across any position in front of the tractor, they may be placed so one guidance disc can engage the original 88" guidance trenches from one direction while the opposite guidance disc is used from the opposite direction. It is very difficult to follow the rows manually after roto-beeting beating because the beet tops form an even carpet of green hiding the rows. This new guidance system allows even less experienced operators to run the harvester or lifter. The more accurately a lifter follows the beet rows, the shallower it can be placed. This allows for less power consumption and greater tractor speeds.
The present invention addresses the problem of accurately guiding four wheel drive row crop tractors and creates a method of covering previously trenched rows with an implement half of the size of the originally planting implement. The present invention also offers other advantages over the prior art and solves problems associated therewith.